


Horse Dates and Matching Shirts

by croiagusanam



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bisexual Percy Jackson, Disney World & Disneyland, Drinking, F/F, F/M, Horse Dates, OT3, Pining, Soft Percy, Tacky Shirts, chaperoning, how does blackjack stomach all that fried dough?, justice for the chb kids, with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26215255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/croiagusanam/pseuds/croiagusanam
Summary: Percy looked down at the package in front of front of him, shaking slightly as he considered it“I don’t… how did you… you don’t even have hands!”“Well Boss, a horse has to have his ways when he’s stuck with these hooves.” Blackjack nudged the package forward with one of the aforementioned hooves before looking expectantly at Percy and saying, “Open it already! You would not believe what I had to trade for this!”Chaperoning a horse date sounded like a good idea at first - especially when you get a trip to Disneyland out of it! That was of course, until the uniform had been revealed...
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Percy Jackson/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Comments: 10
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks [liz](https://nerdylizj.tumblr.com/) for giving this a beta read <3

Percy looked down at the package in front of front of him, shaking slightly as he considered it

“I don’t… how did you… you don’t even have hands!”

“Well Boss, a horse has to have his ways when he’s stuck with these hooves.” Blackjack nudged the package forward with one of the aforementioned hooves before looking expectantly at Percy and saying, “Open it already! You would not believe what I had to trade for this!”

“Trade? Actually, never mind. I don’t want to know.” Percy gingerly reached down and picked up the package, untying the rough string and unfolding the plain brown wrapping paper. The contents were so bright it was almost like a smack in the face. It was a tie dyed t-shirt, split down the centre. On one side was a clear bright rainbow. On the other was a spiral of blue, pink and white. If that had been it, it may have been ok. Maybe a little tacky, but a nice sentiment overall. It was the text in the centre that was most eye catching though. Printed across the chest, in bold impact font: 

**PROUD DAD OF A** **  
** **TRANS GAY** **  
** **HORSE**

Percy looked up at the pegasus. Surely he didn’t intend…

“Flip it over, Boss!”

Slowly, Percy did so. On the back of what would be the left shoulder (the rainbow side) was a print of half of a heart. Within that heart, was half of a plus sign, along with the name ‘Guido’.

“You want me to wear this, then, when we meet them?”

“Not just that Boss,” Blackjack nudged the parcel on the ground. “You’ve got a second job too.”

Percy, out of his CHB shirt at this point, paused to look back down at the package. He sighed, before pulling the new, surprisingly comfortable shirt over his head. “No promises.”

-

Reyna was lying back against Guido, the pair of them taking a moment to rest before the long evening ahead. She kept her eyes closed as she began to hear the beating of wings, only moving when she heard hooves hitting the ground alongside Percy’s shout of “Ave, Praetor!”

At that point, she was forced out of her rest by Guido jumping up to greet Blackjack. “Ave,  _ ex- _ Praetor Jackson,” she said, turning around with a smile. “You only call me that when you want… what on earth are you wearing?”

He lifted a hand to rub the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. “It uh… it was a gift. Good news though, you can match me!” He reached into his pack, pulling out another shirt, this one a solid rainbow as opposed to his dual-pattern design. On the front, in the same font read:

**PROUD MOM** **  
****OF A** **  
** **GAY HORSE**

**“** Not a chance, Jackson. Not even Nico could get me to wear that.” That was definitely a lie, but he seemed to buy it.

“Please Reyna? Look at the back!” He held the second shirt on his left and turned around, revealing that when next to each other, the patterns formed a heart, surrounding the words ‘ **Blackjack+Guido** .’

“I really don’t see why you think that would convince me.”

“Ok, ok. Just know that it’s not me you’re disappointing. It’s them.” He pointed, and Reyna looked across to see both pegasi staring intently at her. Reyna rolled her eyes before yanking the shirt out of Percy’s hand and starting to pull her Camp Jupiter shirt off.

-

While they explored the park, Reyna made a concerted effort to stand on Percy’s right hand side as an act of small protest. There was no way to avoid the stares that came their way, but she was thankful the only visitors were fellow legionnaires. As such, the park was quiet.

“I swear to all the gods, if someone takes a picture of us…”

“Don’t worry about it,  _ Gay Horse Mom _ ,” laughed Percy, “I’m sure it’s good for the Legion to see you as a real person from time to time.” He frowned at the thought. “Actually on that thought: why is it that the only visitors here are from Camp Jupiter?”

“Well placed legacies, mostly. They’re more than happy to make sure that the Legion gets it’s R ‘n R. We try to get a trip in every six months or so.” When Percy didn’t respond, she looked over and saw him standing with his mouth open.

“You’re telling me Camp Jupiter gets to go to Disneyland twice a year? We have to sneak out to get candy! I am  _ so _ lodging a complaint with Chiron when I get back.”

Reyna rolled her eyes “You’d know about this if you’d managed to stick out your job as Praetor for more than a day - actually, scratch that. If you’d managed to stick out your job as Praetor for more than 12 hours you would have known. Planning the summer trip was the first thing on our agenda.”

“You know what? As soon as I get back I’m campaigning to become the first Strategos of New Athens. Annabeth is just starting to break ground, and I’m sure I could convince the head counselors to hold an early election.”

“Oh yeah?” she said teasingly. “Is there even any amusement parks worth visiting in New York?”

He looked at her, appalled. “Biannual trips to Coney Island, baby! Don’t tell me you don’t want in on that.”

“Maybe I’ll visit when you get it off the ground. For now though, go buy your pegasus those churros before he steals some and causes an intercamp incident.”

Once the pegasi had been supplied with enough fried dough, sprinkles and chocolate to give a grown man a heart attack twice over (earning Percy and Reyna a second strange look after the vendor tore her eyes away from their shirts.) The rest of the evening went quickly, as sugar fueled pegasi moved fast and given the rides were only set up for those with two legs (though watching pegasi try to ride the teacups was an equal mix of terrifying and amusing.) They unfortunately had to pose for a few pictures, first with some of the horses (who Percy assured her were as close as it got to celebrities in the equine world) then with Prince Eric, who Percy also claimed was a horse celebrity, although given the way he flushed when the Prince threw an arm around him, Reyna didn’t buy it.

-

After the fireworks show (which had been specially amped up by a very eager son of Vulcan) and the pegasi had been safely ensconced in their stable, Reyna found herself on her couch sharing a flask of rum with Percy to spike their hot chocolate. 

“So you’re telling me they want to do Niagara Falls next time? I feel like they’ll have trouble getting their doughnut fix there” she said, flipping open her diary.

“Yeah,” replied Percy, sipping his hot chocolate, “Guido said something about how it was your turn to travel. If we don’t have the guest houses in New Athens ready, you’re welcome to crash in Cabin 3.” He sipped again and glanced at her diary as he pulled out his phone. “You know, whenever you’re ready to join the rest of us in this decade, Leo can fix you up with a monster-proof phone. How’s the 5th suit?”

She noticed that his background had changed from a photo of Sally and Estelle to a version of their photo from earlier that had been cropped to only include him and the Prince but decided to not say anything. “Unlike most of you, I can remember most of my important dates without an annoying alarm tone. The 5th is no good for me, how’s the 7th?”

“I will see you bright and early on the 7th! Now get off my bed, please. I’ve got an early flight and I need my beauty sleep!” He lay down across her lap, grabbing his blanket and pulling it up to his chin.

Reyna scoffed and downed her drink before shoving him off and standing up. “I should definitely leave then, because you need all the beauty sleep you can get.”

He looked at her then with those puppy dog eyes, and for a moment she was 16 again, with alcohol substituting for the butterflies she had felt during his short lived time at Camp Jupiter. It was easy to push down though, because he followed the eyes up with a mumbled “Et tu, Reyn-Eh?” before devolving into a fit of giggles.

She was almost out the door when he spoke again. “Hey Reyna?”

“Yeah?”

“When we go to Coney Island, will you wear the shirt? I enjoyed being the horse dad to your horse mom.”

She stops in the doorway for a moment, considering his words. “Sure, Percy. I enjoyed it too.”


	2. caught in the hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they walked, Reyna stole glances at the pair when she could. Everyone always seemed to describe Percy as the sea. How if you weren't careful, you could get lost in the depths of those green eyes. She'd plumbed the depths herself, from time to time. Now though, she wondered why nobody ever described Annabeth the same way. How her eyes seemed filled with clouds, ranging from soft to stormy. How her hair seemed to be a breakthrough of sun on a gloomy day. If Percy Jackson was the sea, then Annabeth Chase was the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks [liz](https://nerdylizj.tumblr.com/) for giving this a beta read

Reyna hated being late. She’d been ready to leave bright and early and had even packed Guido’s saddlebags before Dakota had arrived screaming bloody murder about something trivial. Dealing with that had cost her over an hour, and probably explained why Camp Half Blood looked abandoned as they flew down past the Athena Parthenos into the open green before the stables. Several minutes later Guido was free to seek out Blackjack and Reyna was free to seek out Percy. As if on cue, a chime from one of the bags startled her. She fished out the offending item, a phone banded in celestial bronze. Percy had ambushed her with it on their trip to Niagara, and while she wasn’t normally a fan of them she wasn’t sure that there was a force on earth that could say no to him when he turned those wide eyes on them. It’s the inherent draw of the sea she thinks, an animal instinct she would never admit to having. The fact he’d set the lock screen as a picture of them in their matching shirts hadn’t necessarily hurt, either. She didn’t need to check the ID - only one person had her number.

>Percy (1137): guess the forecast was wrong, no reyn this morning :(

>Percy (1140): left a car with Chiron, toss your bags and meet us when you can

She smiled and made her way to cabin 3. It was her first time inside, as after the trip to Canada Annabeth had insisted she stay with her. Something about ‘solidarity between war goddesses.’ She’d been a little apprehensive there, but after only a few minutes it was clear that Annabeth seemed not to know anything of how Percy’s visit to New Rome had gone. Or maybe she did, and simply didn’t care? The blonde was hard to read. Whichever it was, Reyna had felt almost overwhelmed by the sudden friendship that had arisen. Cabin 3 was very different to cabin 6. The latter had been more like a classroom than anything else, with bunk beds shoved in almost as an afterthought. Percy had clearly redesigned his cabin to be more of a living space. On the right was a seating area with a couch and a handful of armchairs surrounding a low coffee table. She snorted a laugh when she realised a small fountain occupied the space a fireplace would normally sit. On the left were a handful of bare bunk beds that seemed to have gone decades without an occupant. In the corner sat a queen sized bed with purple sheets. She assumed it was Percy’s and was somewhat surprised to see it had been neatly made. On the dresser next to it were several photo frames, containing his family, his friends, and of course the picture She frowned and considered the bed again… there was something about it that she couldn’t quite place.

>Reyna (1213): sent an image attachment

>Reyna (1213): When did you steal my bed, waterboy?

>Percy (1215): ok first of all, it’s aquaman

>Percy (1215): second of all, hurry tf up and get on your way

>Percy (1216): third of all, you were still asleep when i came to say goodbye last time and it looked comfortable so when I renovated i bought one. Strategos privileges y’know

>Percy (1217): sent an image attachment

Reyna studied the image, flushing as she recognized herself asleep in her bed back in New Rome. He was right - she did look comfortable, and had slept well that night knowing he was in the next room. Still though, the thought of him seeing her like that made a strange feeling rise in her chest. She exhaled, then and some of it had been the burn of a breath held too long. Some of it.

Reyna (1220): I’ll get you back for that one. Why didn’t you wake me?

Percy (1221): too cute. stop texting and start driving sleepyhead

She dropped her bag next to the coffee table, barely noticing the laptop with the glowing triangle sitting on it. She hoped the furnace in her cheeks would go out before she had to face Chiron.

-

Reyna had thought the drive was bad, but that had been nothing compared to the sheer hell of finding parking. After stretching her legs and a few deep breaths of fresh air, she followed the sounds of laughter and the occasional scream to the sea of orange milling about Coney Island. She scanned the crowd, and moved eagerly when she spotted the flash of a coloured shirt in the crowd, his name rising in her throat. A name that was swiftly repressed when she saw a flash of blonde hair and realised just _who_ it was wearing the shirt. She nearly ran, but then grey eyes met hers, and Annabeth was shouting her name and rushing forward to hug her. The air was knocked out of her and she stood there stunned, being squeezed until she hugged her back. After what seemed like a moment too long to Reyna, they separated, the blonde smiling up at her.

“Glad you got here safe! Percy was a little worried when you didn’t show, but I told him there was nothing to be scared of.”

Reyna didn’t know what to make of _that_. “So where is the illustrious leader of New Athens?” With that, she felt a hand touch the small of her back.

“Speak of the devil and I shall appear, huh? I had to rescue Argus from a cotton candy machine. Those new Hermes girls are giving the Stolls a run for their money. Literally, I think. I doubt that Julia keeps a picture of Katie in her wallet.” He was wearing a laurel pin on his shirt, a symbol of his new office. Hold on. _He_ was wearing the Horse Dad Shirt. Reyna took a second look at Annabeth. Sure enough, she had her own shirt that read:

**PROUD STEPMOM OF A** ****  
**TRANS GAY** **  
** **HORSE**

So now, all three of them matched. Reyna really didn’t know what to make of that. So instead of acknowledging it, she poked Percy in the chest. “Moving up in the world, Jackson!” She looked down at her wrist with a mock grimace. “Isn’t it about time for you to blow this place up and fly off on some quest?”

He scrunched up his face at that and pouted. “Words can hurt, Reyna.” The pout was quickly replaced by a crooked smile as he gestured ahead. “Let me show you what New York has to offer.” Annabeth took his right side, forcing Reyna to complete their pattern. She wasn’t fully sure that she cared, though. She was too busy trying to figure out where her heart should stand.

As they walked, Reyna stole glances at the pair when she could. Everyone always seemed to describe Percy as the sea. How if you weren't careful, you could get lost in the depths of those green eyes. She'd plumbed the depths herself, from time to time. Now though, she wondered why nobody ever described Annabeth the same way. How her eyes seemed filled with clouds, ranging from soft to stormy. How her hair seemed to be a breakthrough of sun on a gloomy day. If Percy Jackson was the sea, then Annabeth Chase was the sky. She watched as they linked arms, and her heart sank. They had that ease that came with growing up together, of surviving death together time and time again. Once you’ve fallen into Tartarus for someone, she thinks, you can’t know anyone else in that way. He begins to wave his hands and Reyna realises that he’s talking, and she should probably be listening.

“... ferris wheel.” He glanced over and hit her shoulder with a gentle punch. “You ok?”

She gave a wan smile. “Of course.”

Annabeth fixed her with that piercing look, the light burning away the mist Reyna felt settling between them. “You zoned out for a second there, Reyn. Sure everything’s ok?”

Under the pressure of their gaze, Reyna understood what it must be like for a lone fisherman, trapped at sea during a hurricane. She clung desperately to the mast, hoping to not be thrown overboard. Or maybe she was the boat, desperately trying to hold itself together under insurmountable odds. “I’m sure. What was that about the ferris wheel?”

-

The ferris wheel, as it turns out, provided both a nice view and a bastion against the chaos of 200 demigods hopped up on all the candy they could get. The Greeks could be difficult enough to handle without the sugar they were deprived of all summer. That said, she’d heard Percy had run his campaign for strategos on a platform of ‘blue coke in all the water fountains’ so maybe that would change over the coming year. They rode in a comfortable silence, knees and thighs touching as they took in the view. As soon as they hit the ground, Percy got whisked away to rescue Argus from yet another trap. Reyna overheard something about a dumpster and elected to let him handle it on his own. Those Hermes girls really were a menace. This, of course left Reyna alone with Annabeth, who seemed happy to fill the silence with her plans for New Athens. Reyna was equally happy to listen. They spent a few hours like that, being pulled apart and brought back together, speaking of nothing of consequence until the time came for the sea of orange to pile into the fleet of minibuses. Once everyone had been loaded up safely, Percy and Annabeth joined her at the car, Annabeth snatching the keys (‘you’ve traveled too far today to drive anymore.’) Percy hopped in the back seat alongside Reyna and within minutes he was snoring, head flopped onto her shoulder. She looked up and made eye contact with Annabeth in the mirror, raising an eyebrow.

“He used to have to nap constantly when he had the Curse. Even now that it’s gone, he’s got a tendency to crash quickly after a long day.” Reyna could hear the fondness in her voice. “Careful though. You’re in the splash zone.” It wasn’t long before Reyna herself succumbed to the pull of sleep, waking only when Percy did as they approached Camp Half Blood in the summer twilight. If either of them had some suspect stains on their shoulder, or had to wipe at their mouths as they stirred, it went unmentioned.

-

Later, much later, Reyna found herself in one of the armchairs in cabin 3, sipping the first batch of strawberry wine the camp had produced after Mr D’s departure from a bright blue mug. Across the table, Percy and Annabeth were sitting on one of the couches, mugs set aside as Percy swung his arms about wildly telling a story.

Percy:

“So I figured, right, that I could test the boundary pretty easily by sitting on Jason’s shoulders and moving up foot by foot. But then he brought up the very good point that there was nothing to stop Zeus from blasting me out of the sky without hitting him, or just popping down to swat me like he did the Argo II. Except instead of getting flung across the ocean I would probably just be vaporised like a seagull in a jet engine,” On that delightful note, he stopped to take a breath (and a drink) before continuing. “So Jason suggested that we put Thalia on _my_ shoulders, and that way she could be a lightning rod! Or prevent Zeus from punting me because his favourite semi-mortal daughter would get hurt!”

Annabeth made a face at that. “Thalia is terrified of heights! How the hell did you manage to get her to agree to that?”

“Well,” he said, face suddenly flaming, “I may have agreed to throw the next 5 games of capture the flag against the Hunters.” Annabeth’s mouth was gaping in an expression that Reyna couldn’t help but laugh at.

“So,” she said, struggling to maintain control. “How high did you make it in the end?”

“Oh, about 20 feet before we lost balance. Jason dropped us, and I broke three ribs. Thalia dislocated a shoulder. We decided to not to tempt fate again after that.” That broke them all and the next few minutes were spent catching breath and wiping tears. Reyna so very nearly didn’t notice the look they exchanged, the fingers that intertwined for a moment. Her chest filled with ice, and the buzzing in her ears drowned out all other sounds.

**_No demigod shall heal your heart_ **

She leapt up, mumbling something about finding a room in the Big House ignoring the alarmed looks and the stinging in her eyes.

“Reyna!” She turned to look at Percy, who had jumped from his chair and was reaching out toward her. “Please,” he spoke softly, looking over to Annabeth, “stay with _us”_

She stood at the open door, under their gaze again, passing into the calm at the eye of the storm.

**_No demigod shall heal your heart_ **

Maybe not. But there were two demigods here, and Reyna had learned to not bet against them.

She closed the door.

She stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Follow me on tumblr!](https://thatirishmichael.tumblr.com/) I have a feeling I'm done here, but maybe an epilogue in the future <3


End file.
